Emerald City Comicon 2015 Fancy Sketches Part 1

I had so much fun with the Sketch-A-Matic at Webcomic Rampage, I decided to bring it to Emerald City Comicon. Due to a retweet from my buddy Wil and a reblog on the official ECCC Tumblr, I had people lined up all weekend to “press the button.”

I did a TON of sketches that weekend. I’ll be posting quite a few of them here in (probably) 3 parts. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll have the Sketch-A-Matic with me at any more shows in 2015 since I’m doing all of my convention appearances as part of Cyanide & Happiness. Maybe I’ll do my next sketch drive using suggestions from the Sketch-A-Matic. Perhaps I could call the sketchee over Skype and go through the whole process with them live. Hmm…

If you’re unfamiliar with the Sketch-A-Matic, here’s a bit of info about it:

INTRODUCING THE SKETCH-A-MATIC!

The idea is simple, but the technology behind it is VAST and COMPLICATED!

It works like this:

The willing participant presses the big, red, impressive button

The machine SPRING TO LIFE whirring and gyrating and buzzing

When it finishes processing your individual, one of a kind sketch topic, you will hear a distinctive DING!

2 topic cards are spit out of the machine and placed on the sketch generation matrix

The user may then choose to ad a multiplier card that will irrevocably alter the sketch in heretofore unimaginable ways!

The machine’s operator (known as: The Artist) begins generating the one of a kind sketch using pencils and pens and paper like some horribly out of date 2D printer

Basically I was getting a lot of similar sketch requests at conventions, OR I was getting a lot of “I don’t know, draw whatever you want,” type requests, so I developed this system to ensure there was always a decisive sketch idea ready to go, and that no two sketches would ever be exactly the same. I’ve tested it out for the first time at Dragon’s Lair Webcomic Rampage in Austin and the results were incredibly amusing. Plus the whole process of “THE MACHINE” is pretty fun.

Risque Cryptography

4 NEW PRINTS IN THE HE STORE!

Coffee Is Life, There Are Four Lights, Such Darmok and the remaining (25 or so) signed and numbered Daddy/Daughter Digital Drawing Time Posters have just been added to the HijiNKS ENSUE Store.

The regular prints are available in 8.5×11″ for $9.95 and 11×17″ for $17.95. The Daddy/Daughter prints are marked down from $35 to $15 while they last!

WE FOUND MORE LIL’ WIL WHEATON PLUSHIES!!!

There are about 40 left. GO HERE and get yours.

UPDATE 4/13/15: I’m over my con crud, done with my taxes and working on the comic backlog. Thank you for your patience.

COMMENTERS: What were your best hiding spots (physical or digital)? Were they ever discovered? I had a hollowed out book when I was a teenager that I used to hide condoms in. I still have the book, though it’s decidedly less full of clandestine prophylactics these days. Maybe I can use it to hide leftover Cadbury Eggs from my kid.

Discourse, Both Relevant and Meaningful

4 NEW PRINTS IN THE HE STORE!

Coffee Is Life, There Are Four Lights, Such Darmok and the remaining (25 or so) signed and numbered Daddy/Daughter Digital Drawing Time Posters have just been added to the HijiNKS ENSUE Store.

The regular prints are available in 8.5×11″ for $9.95 and 11×17″ for $17.95. The Daddy/Daughter prints are marked down from $35 to $15 while they last!

WE FOUND MORE LIL’ WIL WHEATON PLUSHIES!!!

There are about 40 left. GO HERE and get yours.

UPDATE 4/13/15: I’m over my con crud, done with my taxes and working on the comic backlog. Thank you for your patience.

COMMENTERS: Is there a part of your job that your coworkers or friends envy because it doesn’t seem like work?

Give Your Love To Me Tweetly

4 NEW PRINTS IN THE HE STORE!

Coffee Is Life, There Are Four Lights, Such Darmok and the remaining (25 or so) signed and numbered Daddy/Daughter Digital Drawing Time Posters have just been added to the HijiNKS ENSUE Store.

The regular prints are available in 8.5×11″ for $9.95 and 11×17″ for $17.95. The Daddy/Daughter prints are marked down from $35 to $15 while they last!

WE FOUND MORE LIL’ WIL WHEATON PLUSHIES!!!

There are about 40 left. GO HERE and get yours.

UPDATE 4/13/15: I’m over my con crud, done with my taxes and working on the comic backlog. Thank you for your patience.

COMMENTERS: What is the part of your part that you do the most that has the LEAST to do with your actual job?

Performance Evaluation

4 NEW PRINTS IN THE HE STORE!

Coffee Is Life, There Are Four Lights, Such Darmok and the remaining (25 or so) signed and numbered Daddy/Daughter Digital Drawing Time Posters have just been added to the HijiNKS ENSUE Store.

The regular prints are available in 8.5×11″ for $9.95 and 11×17″ for $17.95. The Daddy/Daughter prints are marked down from $35 to $15 while they last!

WE FOUND MORE LIL’ WIL WHEATON PLUSHIES!!!

There are about 40 left. GO HERE and get yours.

UPDATE 4/7/15: I went to Seattle, got really sick (con crud), then came home and slept for about a week while complaining to my wife and getting better. All in all I lost about 2 weeks of productivity. I have challenged myself to backfill all of the comics I’ve missed. That means completing about 10 comics in 8 days. I hope I can do it.

Having people pay attention to you on the Internet is weird. Like REALLY weird. Comic Joel is expressing an exaggerated version of my opinions about being exposed to the praise and criticism of thousands of people every day. That “EVERYTHING IS RUINED FOREVER OH GOD… oh hey, a nice email!” emotional dichotomy is almost a daily occurrence for me. I, and most online content creators (I would imagine), are constantly bombarded by the most sincere, sweet and uplifting affirmation of our work DIRECTLY JUXTAPOSED with thoughtless, hateful condemnation. The best practice is try and parse the intent of the communique. Overly boisterous, hyperbolic positive comments can feel pleasant, but are easily forgotten. The same goes for quickly tossed off anonymous hate speech. It feels shitty to read that stuff, but the effect wares off momentarily. The stuff that really sticks (at least for me) are the well thought out comments.

When someone writes to tell me that my work has improved their lives, inspired them to make positive changes, or given them joy in a time when joy was severely short supply, it really reaffirms all the tough choices, sacrifices and mistakes I have made over the last 8 years or so. On the flip side, a really well thought out treatise on why I am a complete and total piece of shit can… sting a bit. I’m lucky in that these types of emails/comments/etc only come my way once or twice a year. Still, a few of them have made me rethink my willingness to put myself out there. I think the common perception of this predicament is “YOU ARE ASKING FOR IT!” People who think that aren’t entirely wrong. I am indeed asking for attention, and in doing so I am opening myself up for all sorts of attention. I am not able to specify what type of attention, positive or negative, that I would prefer. Well, I CAN specify, but no one has to listen/obey/whatever.

This is probably more of a private journal entry than a blog post, but as of last week (I’m writing this on 4/7/15), HijiNKS ENSUE has been my full time job for 7 years. I guess I’m feeling a little introspective and reflective on this, my Seventh Experimentiversary. Regardless of the above thoughts, the words in this comic and the words likely to appear in the next few comics, I am still EXTRAORDINARILY GRATEFUL that this is somehow still my job. Like anyone, there are things I don’t like about my job, but unlike most people I am doing exactly what I want, how I want and on my own terms. It is a gift, a blessing, a ridiculous magical dream. Every year I get to keep making comics and podcasts and tweets and tumbls for a living is like getting another Hogwarts letter. I don’t know why I was chosen to have everything I’ve ever wanted, and I’m afraid to ask too many questions, because I know how fragile personal/professional satisfaction and happiness can be, but I love my life and I owe so much of that to you Fancy Bastards. I had not planned to write all, or any of this, but it just sort of poured out and here I am without a mop.

COMMENTERS: Those of you who are not in the business of having people pay attention to you on the Internet: Have you ever gotten a taste of Internet fame? What was it for? What were the effects on your life?